Ikinari Steak in Akasake

Sometimes I see a restaurant and pretty much fanboy about it for years before finally going in. When I finally eat there, this can either result in it being a huge disappointment or true love and great success.

And this was the case with Ikinari Steak, a bog-standard sizzling Japanese steakhouse that serves meat by the pound and also serves beer. The verdict? Love, pure unadulterated love.

What is Ikinari Steak?

Ikinari Steak was started in Tokyo in 2013 by Kunio Ichinose, the man behind Pepper Food Service, with a simple idea: serve decent steak quickly, let people order by weight, and don’t charge them for the sort of restaurant experience they probably don’t want anyway. The original restaurants had standing areas, meaning you could get your steak, eat it and get on with your day without the whole thing turning into a two-hour affair.

The concept caught on, the chain spread across Japan and eventually went overseas, including to the United States. With more than 160 branches around Japan, Ikinari Steak has become a familiar sight, and for anyone who likes a proper slab of beef without the usual steakhouse bill, it’s easy to see why.

Click to see my Akasaka Guide.

The Ikinari Steak Menu

The menu and the restaurant are based on a really simple concept: serve steak quickly, sizzling and relatively cheaply. Therefore, the menu is for the most part steak, although there are also chicken options. They also have beer, which is basically ice-cold Asahi.

Main menu

• Blade Meat Steak: 150g ¥1,580 ($11), 200g ¥2,030 ($14), 300g ¥2,700 ($18), 450g ¥3,600 ($24).
• Wild Steak: 150g ¥1,710 ($11), 200g ¥2,190 ($15), 300g ¥2,920 ($19), 450g ¥3,890 ($26).
• Lean Shoulder Steak: 150g ¥1,450 ($10), 200g ¥1,860 ($12), 300g ¥2,470 ($16), 450g ¥3,300 ($22).
• Wild Hamburg Steak: 150g ¥1,220 ($8), 200g ¥1,350 ($9), 300g ¥1,600 ($11).
• Wild Combo, steak and hamburger steak: 100g steak plus 150g hamburger steak ¥1,830 ($12); 150g steak plus 150g hamburger steak ¥2,250 ($15); 300g steak plus 150g hamburger steak ¥3,090 ($21).
• Grilled Chicken Steak: 220g ¥1,170 ($8), 440g ¥1,840 ($12).
• Special Tenderloin Steak: 150g ¥2,830 ($19), 200g ¥3,770 ($25), 250g ¥4,710 ($31), 300g ¥5,650 ($38).
• Tenderloin Cut Steak: 100g ¥1,770 ($12), 150g ¥2,660 ($18).
• Mixed Cut Steak: 120g ¥1,830 ($12), 160g ¥2,250 ($15), 200g ¥2,680 ($18), 240g ¥3,110 ($21).
• Rib Roast Steak: 150g ¥2,200 ($15), 200g ¥2,940 ($20), 300g ¥4,410 ($29), 400g ¥5,880 ($39).

Lunch menu

Available on weekdays until 3pm at participating branches.

• Lunch Blade Meat Steak: 150g ¥1,820 ($12), 200g ¥2,270 ($15), 300g ¥2,940 ($20), 450g ¥3,840 ($26).
• Lunch Wild Steak: 150g ¥1,950 ($13), 200g ¥2,430 ($16), 300g ¥3,160 ($21), 450g ¥4,130 ($28).
• Lunch Lean Shoulder Steak: 150g ¥1,690 ($11), 200g ¥2,100 ($14), 300g ¥2,710 ($18), 450g ¥3,540 ($24).
• Lunch Wild Hamburg Steak: 150g ¥1,460 ($10), 200g ¥1,590 ($11), 300g ¥1,840 ($12).
• Lunch Wild Combo: 80g steak plus 100g hamburger steak ¥1,680 ($11); 100g steak plus 150g hamburger steak ¥2,070 ($14).
• Lunch Grilled Chicken Steak: 220g ¥1,410 ($9), 440g ¥2,080 ($14).
• Lunch Special Tenderloin Steak: 150g ¥3,070 ($20), 200g ¥4,010 ($27).
• Lunch Tenderloin Cut Steak: 100g ¥2,010 ($13), 150g ¥2,900 ($19).
• Lunch Mixed Cut Steak: 120g ¥2,070 ($14), 160g ¥2,490 ($17), 200g ¥2,920 ($19), 240g ¥3,350 ($22).
• Lunch Rib Roast Steak: 150g ¥2,440 ($16), 200g ¥3,180 ($21), 300g ¥4,650 ($31).

Prices vary, with the Yen going up and down like a tarts knickers! It is though currently a cheap time to be in Japan.

The food and ambience at Ikinari Steak Akasaka

The reason I had failed to come here before was because it gets very busy, but in a very small setting. This is basically quick fast food for people partying in Akasaka. So, when I first went in there, it was too full, I left, I regretted leaving and pined for a year.

This time, though, I had someone with me, so we could sit together rather than with a stranger. Once inside, they come and serve you, with it feeling like an American diner. You then get your food, which for me was 450g of steak in literally less than 10 minutes.

And you know what? It is not just fabulous, but insanely good value. The two of us managed 900g of beef with beers at a total cost of $40.

Where is Ikinari Steak?

The one I visited was in Akasaka, a place I love, but this is Japan, so obviously it is a franchise.

This branch is Ikinari Steak Akasaka Dori, at 2-14-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, on the first floor of the Akasaka Sanno Kaikan Building.

The chain has branches throughout Japan. The official Ikinari Steak store locator provides the current branch list and addresses.

So, yeah, worth the hype! Great value and the perfect spot for when you need to get to “Bettschwere”, as the Germans say.

Click to see my Japan Tours with YPT.